Marshalltown, Ia. – U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann made light Saturday of reports that migraines interfere with her work.

“This week, they were talking about me and headaches. All I want you to know is I’ve been giving a lot more headaches in Washington than I’ve been getting,” she joked to laughter and raucous applause from more than 100 people at the public library here. “And as president of the United States, I intend to give those big power brokers a lot more headaches, because we’re going to give the country back to you.”

The Minnesota Republican, a tough-talking supporter of the tea party movement, has been the subject of stories claiming she sometimes has been incapacitated by her migraines. She has denied the allegations, saying she keeps the problem under control with medication.

Bachmann was more than an hour late for her appearance here, the first of three scheduled for the state Saturday. She blamed the delay on flight troubles due to bad weather. Only a few voters left before she arrived.

Bachmann reiterated in her speech why her fellow Republicans should not cave in to President Obama’s demands on raising the nation’s debt ceiling. She said the country can’t keep borrowing, or it will end up spending all of its money on interest payments on its debt. Obama portrays his offer as mostly consisting of budget cuts. The congresswoman is skeptical “He wants a huge tax increase on all Americans so he can keep spending,” she said.